Calvin Reed
Calvin Adam Reed (born September 11, 1981) is an American Baseball player, Philanthropist, politician, and President-elect of the United States. Reed is a member of the Republican Party, and entered politics early in 2016, with his candidacy for the GOP nomination for President, which he emerged victorious in, defeating his primary opponents of Sen. Matteos Egazarian, and Sen. Eric Gonzalez. Prior to his political career, Reed was best known for his playing career for the Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies, as both an athlete and a sportsman, and for his work in creating and growing the charity organization of American Dream into one of the largest in the United States. Reed was confirmed as at the 2016 Republican National Convention, as that party's nominee for President, and was elected to the office that November, winning 61.55% of the popular vote. He is married to Aubrey Reed. Early Life and Education Calvin Adam Reed was born in Beaverhead County, Montana on September 11, 1981, one of twelve children. The Reed family has been American for several generations, and Mr. Reed has noted that he is not certain of his own ethnic ancestry. His parents both were farmers, and Reed grew up on the family farm, spending his entire childhood in the sparsely-populated county. Reed started his sporting career at a young age, participating in his first national event in 1992, as he lead the Beaverhead All-Stars to their first-ever Little League World Series championship, a feat that was repeated in 1993. Reed was primarily used as a Pitcher, but showed skill in batting as well. Reed continued to be active in athletics as he attended Beaverhead County High School, where he consistently scored highly academically between his games in youth leagues. He was awarded a joint scholarship to Purdue University, where he pursued his degree in Agriculture Sciences. Throughout his college years, Reed was pressured by various MLB scouts to go professional, but refused to do so until the completion of his Master of Sciences in Agricultural Sciences. Professional Career College and Minor Leagues (1998-2003) After having won the Gatorade Player of the Year for baseball, Reed was considered a top prospect. He was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1998 draft, but did not sign, instead electing to attend college at Purdue University. The Phillies drafted him a second time in 2001, but he once again refused to sign until the completion of his M.S. degree in Agricultural Sciences, turning down a contract from the crosstown rivals in the Pittsburgh Pirates the following year. Reed finally completed his education and was drafted in 2003 by the Baltimore Orioles, with apprehension by several teams over signing the player leaving Reed out of the first choices in that year's draft. After collecting an over four million dollar signing bonus, Reed was sent to the Orioles Triple-A affiliate, the Ottawa Lynx, for the remainder of the International League season. Reed was generally successful, and the Lynx edged out the Pawtucket Red Sox for the victory in the wild-card round, but were ultimately defeated by the Durham Bulls in the championship. Though the two did not interact directly, it was during Reed's tenure with the Lynx that he was first seen by Aubrey Harrinton, an event which would occur twice more before Reed noticed Harrinton in 2011. That February, Reed was sent down to Sarasota for Spring Training, and, with its completion, was officially called up the Majors and placed in the Orioles's starting rotation, taking a three-year no-arbitration contract.. Baltimore Orioles (2004-2010) Reed's first Major League start, against the Boston Red Sox, was a successful one. His first major-league pitch hit one hundred and three miles per hour on an inside strike, and he posted a strong performance, throwing a four-hit, two-run, fourteen-strikeout complete game with one home run allowed, and taking the win. Reed's pitch count would be kept more limited in subsequent appearances, but he would continue to pitch effectively, going into the All-Star break with the most first-half strikeouts for a rookie pitcher by a wide margin. Despite that, Reed's rookie season was problematic in other ways, the young fire-thrower demonstrating an infamous weakness to home runs, struggling to fully settle down in pitching, a wild style, inexperience, and lack of breaking balls making him an exciting player, but potentially erratic. Having kicked off his fifteen minutes of fame with his high-speed pitches, odd windup, and tripling in his first at-bat against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Reed was elected to the American League All-Star team, though not as the starting pitcher. That summer, Reed, after conflict with management, succeeded in being placed on the U.S. National Team for the 2004 Olympics, balancing the role with his standard pitching for the Orioles as best as was possible. Reed threw a shutout against Mexico in the qualifying rounds, and would eventually medal alongside the team, in an Olympics that, for the second time, he would near-miss meeting his future wife. Reed's performance tailed off somewhat in the second half of the season, leading to criticism over his Olympic competition, though he would still end as the first rookie to throw over three hundred strikeouts in a season, as with the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Reed's second year with the Orioles would arguably be his worst. Continuing to rack up strikeouts at a remarkable pace, later to end the season with over three hundred for the second consecutive time, the numbers did not mask the real problem, with Reed posting what would be the highest ERA and worst win-loss ratio of his career. Reed missed the All-Star team, and was in near-constant conflict with the team's new manager over rotations and pitching times. The following year would prove a landmark one for Reed. Conflicts with management over the off-season had come to a head, particularly over Reed's pitch count and insertion as a non-starter in the rotation. The publicization of the difficulties provided enough pressure for the dropping of Reed's new assignments, allowing him to return full-time as a long-innings starter. After a somewhat inconsistent first six weeks of the season, Reed hit his stride fully, dropping his ERA below three for the first time in his career, and leading the league in WHIP. Selected as an All-Star once again, Reed was beaten out by two Twins for the AL Cy Young and MVP awards. With his pre-arb period finished, Reed won salary arbitration for a five-year contract, making him the highest-paid player in baseball at the time. With his contract matter behind him, as well as personal concerns on the matter of American Dream's financial woes allayed with a new, lucrative, contract largely directed into the organization, Reed posted the best season of his career in 2007. While the Orioles struggled greatly, Reed excelled, hitting career highs and league-leading numbers in strikeouts and WHIP. Mid-season, Reed would join an elite club in throwing a twenty-strikeout perfect game, perhaps more significantly breaking another MLB record, a pitch in the third inning being clocked at one hundred and seven point three miles per hour. A hair under two hundred strikeouts at the All-Star break, Reed would surge ahead even further late in the season with the raising of the bullpen coach to manager, shattering the four-hundred strikeout barrier for the first time since 1886. As in the previous year, the durable Reed led the league in both complete games and innings pitched, and, in addition to the AL Cy Young award, was the first pitcher to win MVP honors in the twenty-first century. Reed would repeat as the American League Cy Young award winner for each of his next two years alongside starting All-Star appearances, even as the Orioles struggled. Reed joined the U.S. Olympic team for a second time in 2008, replacing Jeff Stephens in the starting role, and taking home two victories in early rounds before medaling. The Beijing diversion didn't impact Reed's productivity as it had in 2004, as he successfully re-integrated into the MLB after his split scheduling. This would be the third, and final, time for Reed to near-miss a meet with Aubrey Harrinton, also attending the Games. In 2009, Reed became the fastest player to reach the mark of 2,000 strikeouts, once again pitching more innings than any other in the league. Both seasons, however, had the Orioles at the bottom of the division, far below .500, the team failing to successfully build a contending roster around their star starting pitcher. Despite this, Reed never sought a trade, seeming, by all indications, to be a franchise player for the Orioles, continuing his games-played streak, his charity, and his close relationship with Orioles fans, with his jersey becoming the most-purchased in the League. Reed was awarded the Roberto Clemente award that season for his work in the Baltimore community with American Dream. Colorado Rockies (2010-2015) The first half of the 2010 season was an excellent one for Reed once again, but one that would soon upend itself. With another losing season on the way, the Orioles' manager was fired in early June, and the new hire believed that a rebuilding of the franchise into a future contender was necessary, seeing Reed as an aging asset likely to decline in worth in the future, and looking to retool the franchise from the ground-up. Reed made the All-Star team for the fifth consecutive year, but while he continued his hot streak, a change in his career was being negotiated behind closed doors. Rumors eventually leaked just before the trade deadline, and Reed found himself sent over to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for prospects in a stunning move league-wide, one that shocked the longtime Oriole. The second half of his season was disastrous, by far the worst of Reed's career, dwarfing his 2005 season. "The Whip's" ERA ballooned over 8, he smashed the single-season record for home runs allowed, broke his own worst year for walks by a broad margin, and suffered a batting average of under .050. The one, non-baseball, highlight of the year for Reed was his meeting of Aubrey Harrinton at a Toronto game late in the season, an eleven-run loss. He noticed the woman in the stands, and managed to bump into and speak with the woman after the game, a meeting which proved fruitful. The pair would begin to date in the off-season. Said off-season was a period of recovery for Reed, acclimatizing himself, figuratively and literally, to the new team and stadium. Despite the slump, Reed entered the season with a league-leading five-year contract in hand. Taking personal time off from Spring Training, Reed returned back to old form, kicking off the year with back-to-back shutouts. Allowed a great deal of freedom in determining the length of his starts, Reed would further expand on his already league-high innings per season, starting similar numbers of games, but repeatedly completing far more games than any other, on average staying into the eighth inning. Now in the National League, Reed gained the opportunity to bat regularly, attaining a significant number of at-bats by his significant number of innings pitched. His first season demonstrated his skill at the plate, with Reed winning his first Silver Slugger award. Though not adept at hitting for average, generally scoring somewhere slightly above the Mendoza Line, Reed's speed and strength gave him remarkable ISO scores for a pitcher, later to include a record three inside-the-park home runs. Fully in-form, Reed regained a Cy Young trophy for the National League, as well as another All-Star appearance. Reed's following year saw him enjoy the leverage he had due to his broad popularity in determining his own starts and pitching lengths into a new personal best in complete games and higher strikeout totals, though with a rising ERA and home-runs allowed, rising well above his numbers with the Orioles, a mixed result of the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field, and Reed's tendency to allow late-inning home runs. Reed, after having his attempt to match Randy Johnson's record for consecutive Cy Young awards dashed in 2010, once again came one below the record after consecutive wins in 2012 and 2013, but was out-pitched by his younger rival Clayton Kershaw, who snapped his attempt at the streak again in 2014, as well as defeating Reed to take the starting pitching slot in the All-Star game. Reed still continued his production through the season, becoming the fifth pitcher in the 4,000-strikeout club that August, the fastest pitcher to that milestone. On a less positive note, Reed broke Jamie Moyer's record for most home runs allowed as a pitcher in the final game of the season. At only thirty-three years old, and having remained injury-free his entire career, Reed was widely expected to be the pitcher who could break Nolan Ryan's 'unbreakable' strikeout record. Much as with the Orioles, however. the Rockies proved unable to build up a contending team around the consistent pitcher, continuing on a streak of losing seasons and bottom or near-bottom finishes in the division. Much as with the Orioles again, however, Reed emphasized his desire to remain with the team, his new contract pointedly ensuring a no-trade pledge. Off-season matters would soon lead to a change in the situation. Retirement In early 2015, after a strong start to the season, Reed made the highly unexpected announcement that he would be retiring at the end of the year, citing his wife's pregnancy as the reason for the sudden decision to stop playing baseball, a decision which spurred significant discussion inside and outside of baseball circles. The season would be one of Reed's best, though of a somewhat different sort. Reed's strikeout totals were the lowest of his career, but he set a personal best for fewest home runs allowed, alongside his lowest ERA since 2007, and an MLB record for fewest walks per nine innings. Setting a career high in batting average as well, Reed would tie Mike Hampton for the most consecutive Silver Slugger awards at pitcher, while earning his second MVP award, and his record-tying seventh Cy Young. In his final year before retirement, Reed was honored as the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. Reed's retirement before age mandated it meant that he would not be able to break Nolan Ryan's MLB record for strikeouts, which some commentators and analysts had predicted that he would have the opportunity to break. Reed is currently 4th in all-time career strikeouts. Reed's final game was October 4th, 2015, against the San Francisco Giants. He threw a one-error no-hitter, and batted three times, striking out twice, and tripling once, for a 1-0 victory. After his retirement, he returned briefly to his father's farm in Montana, before moving back to Baltimore. Pitching Style Reed was given the nickname of "The Whip" for the combination of his unorthodox style and extreme pitch velocity, boasting one of, if not the, highest-speed fastballs in MLB history. In addition to his speed, Reed's control was considered excellent, with walk totals typically at league-low levels. Reed typically threw at a common, low, three-quarters delivery, though would occasionally vary to an overhead or, more commonly, sidearm style for the purpose of forcing batters off-balance. Late in his career with the Rockies, Reed briefly attempted a submariner style, including use of the Eephus pitch, but largely abandoned the effort after poor results. As a left-handed pitcher, Reed would generally be considered to have an advantage over a right-handed batter in breaking balls, however, this was generally not the case due to Reed's lack of ability with such pitches. Reed's career statistics against right-handed batters generally did not surpass those against left-batting opponents. Reed was most renowned for his fastball, particularly his four-seam variety of it, which he would throw consistently at over one hundred miles per hour. In a 2007 game this pitch was clocked at 107.3 miles per hour, a current world record. Catchers have called the pitch "Hand butchery", and traditionally would pad their gloves to better absorb the impact of the ball. The combination of Reed's extreme velocity, rapid arm motion, and significant wingspan earned him the nickname "The Whip" Reed's substantial height, listed as 6 ft. 6 inches but considered closer to 6 ft. 7 in. provided an additional advantage to the pitch, making it seem as though it were moving faster due to the closer release. Off-speed pitches thrown by Reed included a changeup, palmball, and circle change, though with a general lack of motion in the latter pitch. Reed threw a two-seam fastball in addition to his standard four-seam pitch, but at a significantly lesser frequency. Highly unusually for a Major League starting pitcher, Reed has demonstrated little to no aptitude with traditional breaking balls. Reed made use of a fast sinker, consistently clocking in the mid-to-high nineties, beginning early in his career, and the pitch would mark the only breaking ball thrown regularly by the pitcher. Reed has stated that he "Does not know how" to throw a curveball, and never demonstrated any ability to throw a slider. Commentators have typically described this lack of effective movement pitches as the cause for Reed's notoriety in allowing home runs, despite his general skill as a pitcher. In a broad sense, Reed was considered to have excellent control and placement, alongside excellent speed, but lacking in movement and trick pitching. One commentator, speaking on both Reed's accuracy and lack of ability to throw complex pitches, said "The man can put a ball anywhere, at any speed-but only in a straight line." Reed's durability was considered one of his most distinguishing traits as a pitcher, consistently post high innings-pitched and complete-game totals reminiscent of earlier eras, particularly in his later career, as his clout allowed him greater control over his own starts. Reed continued to maintain high velocities in pitching into his mid-thirties, beyond typical drop-off points for pitchers, and relied significantly more heavily on his fastball late in his career than typical pitchers of that age. Post-retirement, Reed has commented that he has been "Practicing his knuckleball" though when asked of a possible return to baseball, he insisted that it was "Just for fun." The pitch was never a part of his standard repertoire during his career. Awards and Accomplishments On retirement, Reed holds several MLB records, some more prestigious than others. He is tied with Roger Clemens for most Cy Young awards in a career, and with Bob Hampton for most Silver Slugger awards as a pitcher. Reed holds several MLB strikeout records, including the most 300-strikeouts seasons, the fastest pitcher to 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000 strikeouts, most strikeouts in a game, most strikeouts in a season in the live-ball era, and most strikeouts per nine innings over a career. Reed is also the current record holder for lowest career WHIP. More ignominiously, Reed holds the MLB record for most home runs allowed in a career, and the MLB record for most innings pitched without a playoff appearance. Reed never achieved a full season on a time with a winning record in his entire MLB career. In batting, Reed holds records for most home runs by a pitcher, most stolen bases by a pitcher, and most inside-the-park home runs as a pitcher. Reed is a two-time MVP victor, and eleven-time All-Star, and received the Roberto Clemente Award in 2009. Philanthropic Career Calvin Reed is a well-known philanthropist, beginning in his baseball days, and currently is the head of American Dream, one of the largest organizations of its type in the United States. American Dream was founded in 2004, after Reed's call-up to the Major League by the Baltimore Orioles, formed primarily by Reed's signing bonus. Reed noted that it was the conditions of the inner city, which he had not before experienced, particularly that of African-American children, that spurred the creation of American Dream, built primarily off of his signing bonus. Through his playing career, Reed would donate a significant portion of his salary to the organization in an attempt to grow it, along with attempting to solicit donations whenever his celebrity made it possible. Connecticut Senator and former actor, astronaut, and soldier Buck Havich notes that it was at one of such meetings where he first met Reed, and said he was "Amazed by his energy, going from person to person, always trying to get just a little more help for the charity." American Dream started off as primarily helping youth in poverty, particularly those of color, in Baltimore, focusing on an anti-drug message, then moving into combating gang violence, and promoting education and opportunity. The organization's growth was spurred with the introduction of Mattias Kingsley as Reed's partner, and it became a dominant force in Baltimore. Reed's trade to the Colorado Rockies in 2010 led to him beginning to plant new outposts of American Dream in Denver, while Kingsley focused on the East Coast. American Dream would continue to grow, and later, after Reed's marriage to Aubrey Harrinton, founded a sister organization, known as True Opportunity, which operates exclusively in Canada. Reed has spoken of a possible international spread to American Dream, but no such expansion has been made, with the stated intention being to focus on the United States, with some partnerships and collaborations being the extent of international action. Political Career 2016 Republican Primaries Reed had been a lifelong registered Republican, but has not been noted for being heavily involved in the political process before his announcement of his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President. Reed announced his intention to run for President at an American Dream charity dinner in Baltimore, Maryland, soon after the New Hampshire primaries had concluded. His announcement was considered a complete surprise by commentators, Some considered him a joke candidate, as Dick Kirk had been believed to be, though Dick Kirk was also noted to have won the Iowa primaries. Reed insisted that he was not a joke candidate-and announced his campaign on a fight to bring accountability to government and fight corruption, along with some policy positions considered different from the Republican mainstream. Reed campaigned aggressively early, holding events in Nevada, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and Minnesota, campaigning on healthcare, drugs, gun rights, reformed child care, and immigration. Reed gained significant attention-and some criticism, for campaigning alongside his wife, Aubrey Reed, who held events independent of her husband, which received reactions raising from praise at her independence and assertive action, to criticism of Reed for "using" his wife, or for her not knowing her proper place. These events would later lead to controversy. Reed gained attention for, at the news of then-Tropical Storm Bonnie approaching the Eastern Coast, suspending his campaign to focus on relief efforts. This action would later be followed by other candidates-though notably not Senator Gonzalez. Reed performed poorly in South Carolina, while Gonzalez won Nevada-though Reed posted a respectable showing in the state. The Reed campaign was re-launched in a massive rally in Turner Field in Georgia, and re-entered the campaign field with a series of rallies and a southern-targeted advertisement. In the pre-Super Tuesday debate, hosted as a semi-independent event in Mississippi, Reed gave a generally well-received performance, while then-leader Senator Egazarian did not attend. Come Super Tuesday, the Reed campaign pulled a surprising upset, winning six states, including the critical state of Georgia, predicted to be a Gonzalez stronghold. Combined with the poor performance of Secretary Garestaer, the primary threw the Republican race into a three-way competition between Reed, and Senator Egazarian and Gonzalez. In discussing the results of Super Tuesday, commentators had two main explanations for the performance. One of the most significant factors was believed to be the lack of effort on the campaign trail in the majority of states by the two candidates, who primarily focused on the state of Texas. With the exception of Oklahoma, Reed only won states that no other candidate set foot in. Others commented that both primary opponents were considered populists, and often extreme, leaving voters disillusioned with that ideology no choice but Reed. Immediately after Super Tuesday, Reed was at the center of a story which broke in which Speaker/Secretary Garestear attempted to use child protective services to kidnap Reed's newborn daughter, something that Reed reacted furiously to. Secretary Garestaer would flee to Turkey not long after the revelations, never officially suspending his campaign. Reed continued his aggressive campaigning, trading victories with Senator Egazarian in the Super Saturday primaries. Reed made a notable promise on the campaign trail, promising not to launch attacks on other candidates in his rallies, in opposition to the adversarial rhetoric-leading to fights between supporters, between Sen. Gonzalez and Sen. Egazarian at the time. The move was largely considered to be naive, and one that would have negative effects on the Reed campaign-however, the two Senators almost exclusively continued to attack the other, with Reed left generally unscathed. Reed won a series of primaries in small states, while pulling off a surprising, narrow victory in Michigan, with the populist vote split between his opponents. After Democratic Gov. Murray made promises to ban rifles in the United States, Reed's wife debated with him on Twitter, while Cal released a humorous pro-gun video, which became something of a viral sensation. The next week of Super Tuesday II primaries was considered a decisive one. Senator Gonzalez had been slipping in the polls due to both a lack of distinction from Sen. Egazarian, and a lack of activity and funding, leading the primary to be considered by many to be a two-person race. In the week preceding the Super Tuesday II primaries, Sen. Egazarian made a variety of blunders, making significant errors in an interview on his budget plan, as well as claims on unemployment rated as egregious falsehoods by fact-checkers, leading to a comment from Reed. The primaries occurred rolling off of the week of consistent mishaps from the Egazarian campaign, allowing Reed to take a slim victory in Florida, and elsewhere, giving him winner-take-all delegates, and giving him a commanding lead, with Egazarian and Gonzalez both considered to have little real path to the nomination. Some pressure was placed on both candidates to drop from the race-however, both refused to do so. A Breitbart article insisted that Reed had no chance of receiving the needed 1,237 delegates to claim the nomination, and both Senators continued to run their campaigns against the leading Reed, with Senator Gonzalez re-entering the race in force with heavy campaigning in Wisconsin. At this approximate time, Reed, responding to accusations of infidelity by fringe Presidential candidate and former representative Jason Larson, challenged him to a charity boxing match, which the ex-pitcher infamously won in a single knockout punch. In the Arizona primary the refusal of Sen. Gonzalez to campaign in the state, and Sen. Egazarian's promises of amnesty allowed Reed to capture all of the state's delegates, while adding to his lead with a victory in the Mississippi primary re-election, after a controversy of voters turned away from the polls. Combined with wins in Utah and American Samoa, this formally mathematically eliminated Sen. Gonzalez from contention. This lead Gonzalez's primary backer, Governor Drumpf, to campaign with Reed in Wisconsin, rescinding his support-but both Egazarian and Gonzalez pledged to continue to run their insurgency campaigns. With a decisive win in Wisconsin, mathematically eliminating Matteos Egazarian, Reed marked the formal conclusion of his primary campaign. General Election Despite the fact that his opponents were still technically running, Reed formally ended his primary campaign, and began to campaign for the General election, rallying in states that had already voted in the primaries, and refusing to continue to run in said races, while ignoring comments and attacks by his opponents. The strategy proved largely effective, with the Egazarian campaign struggling against heavy pressure to drop out, and only winning a handful of additional delegates before essentially ceasing activities, though refusing to formally drop. Over the next months, with the Democratic primaries still contested, Reed took the advantage of time to lay out a platform, and establish a ground game for his campaign, attempting to integrate his current network with that of the RNC, without involving himself in or launching attacks on the Democratic candidates. This strategy continued over the next months, without notable deviation. One controversy brewed early in July, when Reed was suddenly accused of rape by a woman who claimed to have worked for American Dream. The story, however, fell apart rapidly once employment records were produced, and no charges filed. The attack, and Democrats, were condemned for using a false rape accusation for political gain, with Reed's reputation considered to be bolstered by the incident. After the crash of the Japanese loan market, Reed flew to Japan for a meeting with their Prime Minister to discuss the problem, and possible solutions. In mid-July, before the party primaries, Reed engaged in an unusually early first Presidential debate with presumptive Green nominee Ellen Walton. With the Democratic Party unable to decide on a nominee, none were sent to the debate. Reed delivered a strong performance, though some pundits believed the moderator did not press either candidate hard enough-neither candidate attacked the other significantly, and the debate was considered a solid showing for both. Going into the Republican National Convention, Reed had not yet picked a Vice Presidential nominee, raising speculation. Initial polling had Reed holding an overwhelming lead over his opponents, after Governor Danders was chosen by Democratic party leaders as the next nominee in a brokered convention, one unsurpassed in the post-War United States. Reed formally accepted the Republican nomination at the National Convention, delivery a speech praised by pundits. Post-Convention Following the Republican National Convention, Reed, after the terror attacks in Madrid, gave a speech in Spanish in the nation's capital, urging strength in the face of hardship. He attended the 2016 Rio Olympics, as a spectator in his wife's events of woman's trap and skeet, before returning to the United States for a closed-door meeting with President Tsai Ing-Wen, alongside his two primary opponents in the race, Governor Danders, and Mayor Walton. In the run-up to the debate, Reed campaigned primarily in the U.S. northeast, traditionally Democratic territory, as part of a professed strategy to work for the "entire nation." In early September, the first post-convention Presidential debate, Reed faced Walton in a standard-format debate at the University of North Carolina. Governor Danders failed to reach the threshold for entry, making the debate the first in over one hundred and fifty years in which a Democrat was unable to take part. The debate varied between economic, foreign policy, and education issues, with most pundits and polls post-debate declaring Reed to be the victor. Throughout September and October, Reed continued on the campaign trail, committing to campaign in all fifty states, a feat not achieved by any Presidential candidate since Richard Nixon. Reed has since campaigned both in the Democratic strongholds in the northeast, and more deeply conservative states in the west, notably not focusing his efforts on swing states, as is typical among candidates. The second Presidential debate was held in late October, with Robert Danders once again failing to qualify. In a debate that became somewhat more heated than the previous, particularly on the issue of a federal imposition of same-sex marriage, Reed was generally polled as the victor for the second time, though by a slimmer margin than previously. .Election Day The November 8th Election resulted in a landslide victory for Reed, receiving 505 Electoral votes to Ellen Walton's 33. Robert Danders received no electoral votes. Reed was also victorious in the popular vote, receiving 61.55% of the electorate, breaking Lyndon B. Johnson's 1964 record. The election was considered consistent with pre-election polling, though with Reed taking an upset victory by a slim margin in California, the first Republican to carry the state since 1988. Reed's victory marked the return of a Republican White House combined with control of both chambers of Congress as was the case from 2003 to 2007 in the Shrub Presidency. Reed became the first President elected without prior governmental or military experience. Of the 43 previous Presidents, 38 had held prior elected office, two had not held elected office but had served in the Cabinet, and three had never held public office but had been commanding generals. Political Positions Reed has been called, alternatively, a Conservative, a Libertarian, a Paleoconservative, and a Moderate. Several of his positions have been noted to be deviations from traditional Republican orthodoxy. TBC Personal Life and Family Calvin Reed is the fourth-youngest of twelve children with seven brothers and four sisters. Reed met his wife-Aubrey Harrinton, in 2011, in Toronto, Canada, noting her in attendance at a game his was participating in against the Toronto Blue Jays, and meeting her afterwards. The couple soon became publicly known, and a target of tabloids, accentuated by Reed's noted chastity. The couple were married suddenly in a private ceremony in Montana in 2013, called by several commentators to essentially be an "elopement" Reed is a Christian, and identifies as Baptist, and has been noted for his outspoken faith in his professional career. He has given sermonic speeches at various churches in his work at American Dream, and has personally supported various missionaries and evangelists. Reed spoke about his support for personal chastity, and maintaining abstinence until marriage-he has stated that both he and his wife Aubrey were virgins when they consummated their marriage. Reed has one child, a daughter-Mia Jem Reed, born on December 1, 2015. In June 2016, Aubrey announced that she was once again pregnant, with the sex of the child unknown. The children, twin girls, were born prematurely on July 20, 2016 In his playing career, alongside his anti-drug activism with American Dream, Reed was a vocal opponent and critic of the use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) in baseball, calling for stricter testing and enforcement, and harsher penalties. He has stated his belief that known PED users should be banned from inclusion into the Hall of Fame. Reed has expressed interest in unarmed martial arts, and is graded as a Blue and White in Muay Thai. Reed regularly participates in charity sporting events, and is an oftentimes triathlete, including his competing in the Trirock Triathalon during his election campaign. He was the victor in the 2016 Hawaii Charity Marathon, running against other politicians, timing in at slightly over 2.5 hours. Reed is fluent in Canadian French, a skill he attributes to his Québécoise wife. Reed lives in the former Baltimore Harbor Light, which he purchased in 2006 when it came up for auction. His former residence in Denver is now owned by his brother.Category:Republican Category:Maryland Category:Presidential Candidate Category:President of the United States